Head of Lab

Prof. Dr. Kai Sassenberg

Kai Sassenberg has been head of the Social Processes Lab at the IWM and full professor at the University of Tübingen since 2007. Together with his team, he studies the impact of social relationships on computer-mediated knowledge exchange and social cooperation. The focus of this work is on self-regulatory processes that are triggered by group membership, social power and leadership. He also studies the impact of emotions and cognitive conflicts on processing of self-relevant information, in particular health information. Kai Sassenberg is president of the European Association of Social Psychology.

Kai Sassenberg received a diploma in psychology from the University of Mannheim and a PhD in psychology (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Göttingen. In his PhD thesis, he focused on the impact of anonymity on social influence during computer-mediated communication. After his postdoc period at the University of Jena and Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA, USA), he became assistant professor and head of the junior research group Motivational and cognitive determinants of social discrimination at the University of Jena. He then was Associate professor of Organizational Psychology at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands).

Ditrich, L., Landkammer, F., & Sassenberg, K. (2019). What if my colleague was wrong and I was right? The impact of counterfactual mindsets and interpersonal focus on written communication and decision making in a hidden profile task. Acta Psychologica, 192, 118-125. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.11.003request document

Täuber, S., & Sassenberg, K. (2012). The impact of identification on adherence to group norms in team sports: Who is going the extra mile? Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, 16, 231-240.
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Jacoby, J., & Sassenberg, K. (2011). Interaction does not only tell us 'when', but can also tell us 'how': Testing process hypotheses by interaction. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 180-190.
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Scholl, A., Ellemers, N., Sassenberg, K., & Scheepers, D. (2015). Understanding power in social context: How power relates to language and communication in line with responsibilities or opportunities. In R. Schulze & H. Pishwa (Eds.), The exercise of power in communication. Devices, reception and reaction (pp. 312-334). Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sassenberg, K., & Ditrich, L. (2018, September). Should I stay or should they go? The impact of norm violations on intentions to leave a group and to confront the deviants. Social Identity and Groups Network Workshop. Brisbane, Australien. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K., & Winter, K. (2018, August). Enhancing trust in outgroups among the distrusting. Colloquium of the Center of Research in Social Psychology. Brisbane, Australien. [Talk]

Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, August). One of us does not belong here anymore! - The effects of norm-deviant behavior on confrontation and escape. Pre-Conference on Self and Identity of the International Society for Self and Identity (ISSI). Granada, Spain. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K., & Hamstra, M. R. W. (2017, July). The intrapersonal and
interpersonal dynamics of self-regulation in the leadership process. 18th General Meeting of The European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada, Spain. [Talk]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, July). Time will tell: How a long-term perspective alters the perception of social power. 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada, Spain. [Talk]

Wenzler, M., Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, July). Power and Morality: The influence of power on judgment of moral rule violations. 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada, Spain. [Poster]

Winter, K., Sassenberg, K., & Landkammer, F. (2017, July). Enhancing trust in refugees: The effect of an independent third person's communication. 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada, Spain. [Poster]

Woltin, K. S., Sassenberg, K., & Albayrak, N. (2017, July). Regulatory focus, coping strategies and symptoms of depression and
anxiety: A comparison between Syrian refugees in Turkey and Germany. Self-regulation of Health Preconference at the 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada Spain. [Talk]

Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, February). Should I stay or should they go?: Schismatic intentions in social groups. 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Long Beach, CA, USA. [Poster]

Scholl, A., De Wit, F., Scheepers, D., Ellemers, N., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, February). The downside of power for the self: How power as responsibility affects cardiovascular stress responses. 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Long Beach, CA, USA. [Talk]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, February). "Where could we stand if I had…?" How social power impacts counterfactual thought. Mental Simulation Preconference, 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Long Beach, CA, USA. [Talk]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, May). Social power and the flexibility of self-referential thought. 27th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). New York, NY, USA. [Talk]

Landkammer, F., & Sassenberg, K. (2014, July). Competing while cooperating: About the cognitive and social consequences of co-opetition. 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K., Landkammer, F., & Jacoby, J. (2014, July). The impact of goals and regulatory focus on the confirmation bias in grouop decision making. 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Amsterdam, The Neterlands. [Poster]

Scholl, A., Sassenberg, K., Ellemers, N., & Scheepers, D. (2014, July). With power comes responsibility: How awareness of others predicts the construal of power as responsibility. 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [Talk]

de Wit, F., Scheepers, D., Ellemers, N., & Sassenberg, K. (2014, July). When those in power take advice: The role of conceptualizing power as responsibility vs. opportunity. 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Amsterdam, The Neterlands. [Talk]

Landkammer, F., Sassenberg, K., & Jacoby, J. (2013, May). Promotion focus and group goals reduce the confirmation bias in group decision making. 16th Congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP). Münster. [Poster]

Neugebauer, J., Ray, D., & Sassenberg, K. (2013, January). When people with superior knowledge are less attractive collaborators: The role of meta-knowledge about what others know and social comparisons. 14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. New Orleans, LA, USA. [Poster]

Ray, D., Neugebauer, J., & Sassenberg, K. (2013, June). Motivated shortcomings in explanation: The role of comparative self-evaluation and awareness of explanation recipients’ knowledge. Small Group Meeting on the Social Determinants and Social Consequences of Threat. Berlin. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K., Landkammer, F., & Jacoby J. (2013, January). The impact of goals and regulatory focus on the confirmation bias in group decision making. 14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. New Orleans, LA, USA. [Poster]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2013, May). When being powerful promotes questioning one's own actions. 16th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (eawop). Münster. [Talk]

Scholl, A., Sassenberg, K., Ellemers, N., & Scheepers, D. (2013, January). The downside of becoming aware of others: Focusing on the self versus others and the constual of power as responsibility or opportunity. 14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. New Orleans, LA, USA. [Poster]

Sassenberg, K. (2012, July). For the sake of the collective: The impact of social groups on their members motivation and behavior. 6th Summer Academy on "Innovation and Uncertainty" des DFG-Graduiertenkollegs "The economics of innovative change" und der International Max Planck Research School on "Adapting Behavior in a Fundamentally Uncertain World". Jena. [Talk]

Sassenrath, C., & Sassenberg, K. (2012, January). When promotion focus and avoidance orientation result in the same effect: The case of perspective taking. 13th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). San Diego, CA, USA. [Poster]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2012, January). Where could we stand if I had...? How power affects counterfactual thinking after failure. 13th Annual Meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). San Diego, CA, USA. [Poster]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2012, July). Opportunity knocks when experiencing power: The impact of
social power on pre- and counterfactual thought in the face of joint failure. European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) Small Group Meeting: Control experience, power, and intergroup relations. Kazimierz Dolny, Poland. [Talk]

Behringer, N., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, July). Privacy online: The shy and the sociable reveal more information in social networking sites. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Poster]

Fehr, J., Sassenberg, K., & Jonas, K.J. (2011, July). The impact of internal motivation to respond without prejudice on the regulation of activated stereotypes. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Jacoby, J., & Sassenberg. K. (2011, July). A non-social ostracism effect: Understimulation is involved in effects of being excluded and ignored. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Landkammer, F., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, July). The impact of competition on information exchange with uninvolved others. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Poster]

Landkammer, F., Sassenberg, K., & Jacoby, J. (2011, July). The influence of motivational factors on the perception of information in group discussions. European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) Small Group Meeting: The application of self-regulation approaches to social psychological phenomena. Stockholm, Sweden. [Poster]

Ray, D., Sassenberg, K., Buder, J., & Hesse F.W. (2011, July). Knowledge hoarding during cooperation: The role of social comparison and knowledge awareness. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K. (2011, April). I didn’t make it … The impact of failure feedback on goal striving in (inter-)group contexts. Social and organizational psychology colloquium. Leiden University, The Netherlands. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K. (2011, September). The attraction of social power: The influence of conceptualization of power and person characteristics. 12th Congress of the Swiss Society of Psychology. Fribourg, Switzerland. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K., Ellemers, N., & Scheepers, D. (2011, July). The impact of conceptualization of social power on its attraction. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Sassenrath, C., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, July). When promotion focus and avoidance result in the same effects: The case of perspective taking. European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) Small Group Meeting: The application of self-regulation approaches to social psychological phenomena. Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, July). I have the power, so I could have changed it. Power and counterfactual thinking after failure. 16th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Stockholm, Sweden. [Talk]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, July). The ups and downs of power in social interactions. Symposium at the EASP 16th General Meeting. Stockholm, Sweden. [Symposium Organisation]

Scholl, A., & Sassenberg, K. (2011, March). Making use of what is in your power - How power affects counterfactual thinking after failure during goal pursuit. Invited talk at the Social Group Research Seminar, University of Kent. Canterbury, Great Britain. [Talk]

Scheepers, D., Ellemers, N., & Sassenberg, K. (2009, June). Regulatory focus and decision making in groups: The moderating role of group-status and accountability. EASP Small Group Meeting: Self-Regulation Approaches to Group Processes. Hohenstein. [Talk]

Matschke, C., & Sassenberg, K. (2008, June). Motivation and goal strategies as facilitators of the integration of a new group into the self-concept. EAESP 15th General Meeting. Opatija, Croatia. [Talk]

Sassenberg, K. (2008, June). Social ties as key to contributions and loyalty of social software users. International Workshop on Distributed Learning and Collaboration (DLAC). Participation and personalization: The main factors of social software. Tübingen. [Talk]

Matschke, C., & Sassenberg, K. (2007, August). Goals and motivation as moderators on the integration of a new group membership into the self-concept. EAESP Small Group Meeting on Group Processes and Self-Regulation. Oud Poelgeest Castle. Leiden, The Netherlands. [Talk]

Wieber, F., & Sassenberg, K. (2007, August). Limits of intentionality - Do implementation intentions lead to uncontrolled social behavior. EAESP Small Group Meeting on Group Processes and Self-Regulation. Oud Poelgeest Castle. Leiden, The Netherlands. [Talk]

Woltin, K.-A., & Sassenberg, K. (2007, August). Group-based self-control: The influence of social identification on individual control strategies. EAESP Small Group Meeting on Group Processes and Self-Regulation. Oud Poelgeest Castle. Leiden, The Netherlands. [Talk]